Entries by Justina Janas

Visions Celebrates National School Choice Week

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This School Celebrates National School Choice Week badge with grad caps and flags

Visions Celebrates National School Choice Week

“School choice” is defined as the process of allowing every family to choose the educational option that’s the best fit for their child. Visions is proud to be a public charter school that offers options to students and families in our Independent Study, Home School and University Prep academies.

School Choice Leads to Student Success at Visions

Many of our students choose our programs because they want to get a good education and have the flexibility to pursue their talents or deal with life’s responsibilities. Visions has helped many students overcome obstacles and become successful. Here are some of their stories …

Itati – chose Visions so she could earn her diploma and balance being a teen parent.

Angel – chose Visions to escape bullying and to learn in a safe environment.

Tarig – chose Visions to focus on his well-being and pursue his acting career.

Visit our Success Stories page to read more about how school choice has helped our students.

Get Involved – #VisionsProud

Students, parents, teachers and staff – show your love for National School Choice Week by sharing the badge below on your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Use the hashtags #VisionsProud, #SchoolChoice and #SchoolChoiceWeek. Learn more about school choice here.

I Celebrate National School Choice Week badge with flags and grad caps

March Teacher Job Fair

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Teacher Job Fairs with anniversary logo and image of teacher with student looking at the laptop

March Teacher Job Fair

Visions In Education is holding job fairs for prospective teachers to meet with faculty and staff. You’ll learn more about our school and meet representatives from our Independent Study, University Prep, Home School, Special Education and Human Resources departments.

Why Attend?

Whether you are interested in helping students who are struggling to graduate or those who are already at the top of their class, Visions provides every teacher with rewarding teaching assignments.

We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits including medical, dental, vision, STRS and PERS. Visions is a non-site based school so teachers have the flexibility to meet with students in their community.

Event Details

San Joaquin County
Thursday, March 5, 2020
3 to 5:30 p.m.
Hilton Stockton
2323 Grand Canal Boulevard, Stockton, CA 95207

RSVP

To formally RSVP please email hr@viedu.org or call 916-883-1614 (RSVP not required but encouraged).

About Visions In Education

Visions is a free WASC accredited public school that proudly serves over 6,700 students. Our service area includes Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter and Yolo counties. Established in 1999, Visions is celebrating its 20th year of serving students.

8th Grader James Grant C. Wins 2019 Spelling Bee

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Male student smiles at the camera after winning the spelling bee

8th Grader James Grant C. Wins 2019 Spelling Bee

On December 11, 26 students participated in Visions’ annual Spelling Bee. The students, in grades 2-8, wowed the crowd with 31 rounds of words! See all the great photos from the event on our Facebook page.

Spelling Bee Champion

8th grader James Grant C. won the bee by correctly spelling “fungi”. He now moves on to take the California Central Valley Spelling Bee online test with the hopes of qualifying for the National Spelling Bee. We wish him the best of luck! #VisionsProud

Runners-Up

7th grader Elissia R. won second place and 6th grader Audrey L. took third. Congratulations to all the participants and finalists!

Fun Facts

The National Spelling Bee was founded in 1925 by nine newspaper companies. The bee reaches 11 million students every year and helps expand their vocabulary and improve spelling.

Student Spotlight: Student Cracks the Code for Success

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Female student posing and smiling for the camera

Student Spotlight: Student Cracks The Code For Success

Morgan Y. is interested in a lot of different things. From her first commercial acting gig at two years old, she applies herself to her numerous personal and academic pursuits. But when the time came to choose a high school program for their student, Morgan’s family wanted a flexible program that would allow time for her numerous interests.

“Visions just seemed like the best option,” Morgan said.

Morgan enrolled in Visions’ University Prep Academy, a program designed for students with ambitions of attending a four year university. Under experienced teacher Tracy Jones, Morgan is able to make her school life work around her busy extracurricular schedule.

“I know what I’m going to do for the day, the week, and the month,” Morgan said. “Tracy makes sure I’m on the right track.”

Getting Ahead

Morgan took community college classes starting her sophomore year, getting a jumpstart on college credits and learning the skills necessary to excel in a university classroom. In addition to sitting as the Vice President of Visions’ California Scholarship Federation, Morgan also acts, models and figure skates. She swims on a local team, tours as a professional Polynesian dancer, programs computer systems, and volunteers her time at Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Honor Our Troops.

Morgan most recently took part in the Girls Who Code program at Twitter’s headquarters. An event designed for girls interested in pursuing careers in computer science. Inspired by her time in this program, Morgan taught herself Swift (Apple’s programming language). She developed a wi-fi app for iPhones with fellow Visions student Chase Forsberg called “WiFi Fuze”.

Looking Forward

At seventeen, Morgan graduated from Visions in the summer of 2020. Her hard work has afforded her a wealth of college opportunities, but her goal is to attend Stanford. She intends to go on the accelerated track, getting her undergraduate degree in Computer Science and her MBA in five years. She believes that her time as an independent study student has equipped her with the self-direction necessary to succeed in a college setting.

“I was allowed to pursue a lot of things I couldn’t have done at a regular school,” Morgan said.

Winter Break Hours

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Winter Break school closed 12/23 - 1/3 with tree image

Winter Break Hours

Visions In Education will be closed for Winter Break beginning at noon on Friday, December 20. Our office will reopen and classes will resume on Monday, January 6, 2020.

Message from the Superintendent:

On behalf of our Visions family, we wish a very merry and happy holiday season to you and your family.

May the holiday season fill you with time to enjoy family and friends and offer moments of renewal and rejuvenation as you welcome in the new year! Wishing your family every happiness this holiday season and throughout the coming year.

Warm regards,

Jody Graf
Superintendent

Student Spotlight: Student Goes For Gymnastics Gold

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Female gymnast smiling at the camera holding 1st place award with gold medals

Student Spotlight: Student Goes For Gymnastics Gold

When Tyler Turner was seven years old, her family knew she had been bitten by the gymnastics bug. The more gymnastics YouTube videos she watched, the more her parents realized they needed to get their daughter into a proper gymnastics class. Unfortunately, a very different bug nearly destroyed Tyler’s dream of becoming a gymnast. 

“I thought it was a stomach bug,” Tyler’s mother Corrin said. Unfortunately, Tyler had contracted Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare disease that attacks a person’s nervous system, leading to paralysis. Instead of learning gymnastics, Tyler had to learn to walk again, going through a long, difficult road to recovery before she could even consider her gymnastic dreams. 

Healing & Growing

Enrolling at Airborne Gymnastics came with new challenges as the rigorous thirty-two hour per week training schedule made traditional schooling impossible. Tyler needed a flexible home school option that would allow her to learn in her own time. A friend referred Tyler’s parents to Visions where they found the support of credentialed teacher Channel Lewis. 

“We love Ms. Channel,” Corrin said. “She’s been really helpful.” 

With the freedom and flexibility to do schoolwork whenever she wants, Tyler threw herself headfirst into gymnastics training. She’s competed with the Northern California State Gymnastics Team and, this past April, she beat out gymnasts from four other states to become Junior Olympics Level 7 State and Region 1 Champion! She also qualified out of 4,000 other gymnasts for national testing, making it to the top 45 out of 300+ for National A Camp. 

Next on the Parade

Now that she’s found her footing, Tyler shows no signs of stopping any time soon. She plans on climbing the Junior Olympic ranks with the goal of becoming a college level gymnast. Her gymnastics team is going to Paris very shortly where she will compete with young athletes from around the world. Only three years after a rare disease threatened her dreams, Tyler is proof that hard work, dedication, and just a little flexibility can make anything possible. 

“She’s kind of my hero,” her mother said. 

Visions Wins Award from the Russian American Media

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Women accepts award on stage with two presenters

Visions Wins Award from the Russian American Media

Visions is proud to be recognized once again by the Russian American Media for our Home School program!

On November 1, Superintendent Jody Graf proudly accepted the award for “Best Home School Program” at The Best by Russian-Speaking Community Awards Ceremony. 

Members of the community are asked to vote for their favorite organizations and businesses. Best Awards are given to the organizations that receive the most votes. We are so thankful for the support of our students, families and the Russian-speaking community.

About the Russian American Media
The Russian American Media, also known as RAM, is a community-based organization that connects the Russian-speaking population in California. They curate several publications including the Russian Time Magazine and the Russian Observer Newspaper. They also hold many events throughout the year like the International Kids Festival and the Multicultural Business and Career Expo. Learn more at www.russianamericanmedia.com.

Photo credit: Sandrey Photography

Student Spotlight: High School Student Shoots for his Goals

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Action photo of a Visions student playing soccer in a field

Student Spotlight: High School Student Shoots for his Goals

When asked about Yahari Guadarrama-Sandoval, his teachers and peers all use one word to describe him; hardworking. Whether it’s on the soccer field or in the classroom, Yahari has impressed everyone who meets him with his work ethic and attitude. But working hard doesn’t always get you ahead if you aren’t given the tools for success and Yahari found himself struggling to reach his goals in traditional school. 

“I wasn’t really doing that well in school,” Yahari said. More than anything, he lacked the support from teachers and fellow students in a traditional school setting. Yahari needed a safe, supportive learning environment and a personal relationship with his teacher to achieve his educational dreams. At Visions In Education, Yahari was introduced to teacher Simone Kunst who helped him get back on track. 

“She’s a really, really good teacher,” Yahari said. “She really helped me and pushed me to get better.” 

At Visions, Yahari also had the opportunity to take part in the Success Through Education Mentoring (S.T.E.M.) program in partnership with U.C. Davis. For more than three years, Yahari has partnered with experienced students from U.C. Davis who provide students with educational mentorship and a first-hand account of life as a college student. Visions’ flexible schedule also allows Yahari to participate in a local soccer league and help his parents out while staying on top of his schoolwork. Yahari’s hard work and dedication recently earned him a SleepFirst Student of the Week award, distinguishing him as an exceptional student in the Sacramento area. 

“He does right by his family and works hard to get the grades that he does,” said Yahari’s principal Shannon Alward. 

What’s Next?

Yahari graduated from Visions in spring of 2020. Inspired by his time in the S.T.E.M. program, he plans to go on to U.C. Davis and major in business. He credits his time at Visions with changing how he looked at school and helping him focus on his schoolwork and personal goals. 

“It was a really cool experience,” Yahari said. “The teachers here really help and support you to get you where you want to be.”

Visions Honored with APLUS+ Exemplary Sustainability Award

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Visions staff accepts award at APLUS+ conference

Visions Honored with APLUS+ Exemplary Sustainability Award

We are proud to share that Visions is the 2019 APLUS+ Pioneer Award Winner for Exemplary Sustainability. This award recognizes our 20 years of stability and service to students and families. The award was presented to Visions staff at the annual APLUS+ Network Conference in San Diego.

“Visions In Education has been proudly serving students for 20 years,” said Chief Operations Officer Tom Tafoya. “We are honored to be recognized for our growth and accountability by APLUS+, an organization that empowers and supports schools like ours.”

About APLUS+

APLUS+ stands for the Association of Personalized Learning Schools and Services. They are dedicated to supporting schools that offer flexible and individualized learning options to students. This association supports over 65 public charter schools in California that collectively enroll more than 70,000 K-12 students.

Visions In Education is proud to be an APLUS+ member school and we thank them for honoring us with a Pioneer Award. #VisionsProud

Graduate Spotlight: Aspiring Judge Gets a Head Start on College

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Female grad in cap and gown

Graduate Spotlight: Aspiring Judge Gets a Head Start on College

When Victoria Kebets was eleven years old, she had the opportunity to sit in on a trial case that changed her life. Sitting in a courtroom, watching judges and lawyers try a case, she was inspired to take up a career in law and started looking into becoming a lawyer. 

To do that, she needed a personalized education plan; one that would offer a choice of curriculum, and support her goals. But traditional public schools didn’t offer the support Victoria needed, and after a search, Victoria’s family found Visions In Education. 

At Visions, Victoria’s family was able to choose the curriculum that would support her career ambitions while offering her a flexible environment that allowed her to pursue her interests. Victoria took full advantage of numerous enrichment activities, including piano, voice lessons, and the Find Your Voice writing program. She also found the support of an experienced teacher and mentor in JeanAnn Walth. 

“She’s inspiring,” Victoria said. “If she can’t find the answer to a question, she refers me to someone who can.” 

In her nine years as a Visions student, Victoria demonstrated remarkable initiative and drive, enrolling in American River College when she was just fourteen years old! Because Visions reimburses students for community college materials, Victoria was able to take college classes (including a number of advanced classes) while excelling in high school. Thanks to her hard work and focus, Victoria now has a headstart on her college career!

What’s Next?

Victoria only has one more year of community college to complete before transferring to a four year university. She intends to pursue a law career and hopes to one day become a judge. When asked about her success, she credits the support of her teacher and family as well as a relaxed environment where she was able to learn at her own pace

“Give homeschooling a try,” Victoria said. “Studying at home is more positive environment.”